SECOND World War bombs dumped just 10 kilometres off the Scottish coast have exploded underwater, the Ministry of Defence admitted last week. In a report released to MPs, the MoD says that merchant vessels sailing over a military dumping zone between Scotland and Northern Ireland reported hearing explosions in September and October 1966.
Between 1945 and 1976 the MoD dumped old munitions in Beaufort鈥檚 Dyke, a 50-kilometre-long trench in the North Channel. The MoD report suggests that up to 1.7 million tons of weapons could have been sent for dumping in the dyke, compared with an earlier MoD estimate of 1.15 million tons. Last month, more than 4500 dumped phosphorus bombs were washed up around the southwest coast of Scotland.
快猫短视频s at the Scottish Office鈥檚 Marine Laboratory in Aberdeen said that it was 鈥渂eyond reasonable doubt鈥� that the phosphorus bombs were dislodged by a British Gas pipe-laying operation (鈥淒anger from the deep鈥�, 快猫短视频, 18 November 1995). This report was described as 鈥渦nhelpful speculation鈥� by the Scottish environment minister, Lord Lindsay, although he admitted that there is 鈥渃ircumstantial evidence鈥� that the pipe-laying may have disturbed the seabed. The Marine Laboratory鈥檚 survey around Beaufort鈥檚 Dyke is due to be completed this week.
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The new MoD report discloses that the munitions included mortar bombs, anti-aircraft shells, hand grenades, rockets, RAF cluster bombs, US Air Force 500lb bombs and probably German torpedoes. It was released to coincide with a Commons debate on military dumping at sea initiated by the Scottish Labour MP George Foulkes. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 know what else will come back to haunt us,鈥� he says.